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Job outlook for environmental field technicians in the United States
Environmental field technician job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected environmental field technician job growth rate is 9% from 2018-2028.
About 3,200 new jobs for environmental field technicians are projected over the next decade.
Environmental field technician salaries have increased 8% for environmental field technicians in the last 5 years.
There are over 5,096 environmental field technicians currently employed in the United States.
There are 76,665 active environmental field technician job openings in the US.
The average environmental field technician salary is $38,450.
Are environmental field technician jobs in demand?
Environmental field technician job and salary trends over time
Environmental field technician jobs over time
Environmental field technician job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 5,096 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 5,062 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 5,194 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 4,856 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 4,891 | 0.00% |
Average environmental field technician salary over time
Environmental field technician salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $38,450 | $18.49 | +0.4% |
| 2024 | $38,284 | $18.41 | +3.2% |
| 2023 | $37,101 | $17.84 | +1.5% |
| 2022 | $36,555 | $17.57 | +2.9% |
| 2021 | $35,510 | $17.07 | +2.7% |
Environmental field technician jobs by state
Most common states for environmental field technicians
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 232 | 31% |
| 2 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 208 | 30% |
| 3 | Maine | 1,335,907 | 391 | 29% |
| 4 | Alaska | 739,795 | 197 | 27% |
| 5 | Vermont | 623,657 | 151 | 24% |
| 6 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 1,441 | 21% |
| 7 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 282 | 21% |
| 8 | Montana | 1,050,493 | 219 | 21% |
| 9 | Wyoming | 579,315 | 121 | 21% |
| 10 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 1,122 | 20% |
| 11 | Iowa | 3,145,711 | 585 | 19% |
| 12 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 1,432 | 17% |
| 13 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 941 | 17% |
| 14 | Connecticut | 3,588,184 | 606 | 17% |
| 15 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 324 | 17% |
| 16 | Delaware | 961,939 | 165 | 17% |
| 17 | Utah | 3,101,833 | 502 | 16% |
| 18 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 166 | 16% |
| 19 | Wisconsin | 5,795,483 | 876 | 15% |
| 20 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 613 | 15% |
Most common cities for environmental field technicians
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Benicia | 1 | 4% | $49,501 |
| 2 | Addison | 1 | 3% | $39,369 |
| 3 | Cypress | 1 | 2% | $46,351 |
| 4 | Decatur | 1 | 2% | $37,143 |
| 5 | Des Plaines | 1 | 2% | $39,425 |
| 6 | Eagan | 1 | 2% | $44,483 |
| 7 | Severn | 1 | 2% | $43,447 |
| 8 | Beaumont | 1 | 1% | $43,089 |
| 9 | Bethlehem | 1 | 1% | $42,963 |
| 10 | Camarillo | 1 | 1% | $46,666 |
| 11 | Rockville | 1 | 1% | $43,192 |
| 12 | Jacksonville | 3 | 0% | $33,414 |
| 13 | Bakersfield | 1 | 0% | $47,405 |
| 14 | Chicago | 1 | 0% | $39,405 |
| 15 | Detroit | 1 | 0% | $41,176 |
| 16 | Indianapolis | 1 | 0% | $34,266 |
| 17 | Los Angeles | 1 | 0% | $46,485 |
| 18 | San Diego | 1 | 0% | $45,842 |
Environmental Field Technician job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of environmental field technician experts
Kent State University
Gonzaga University
Kennesaw State University
University of Minnesota
George Mason University
Denison University
Penn State Behrend
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry
University of Minnesota, Morris
Colorado Mountain College
University of South Dakota
Yale University professor
What Environmental Field Technician skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. Christopher Post PhD: Geographic Information Science—the ability to take field data and make it visual with maps so that you and others can witness and analyze spatial relations is the most important skill set in environmental careers right now and will continue as such. Everything in nature moves—albeit sometimes slowly—and understanding those interactions is key to unfolding humanity’s impacts on the environment, and vice versa.
Dr. Greg Gordon Professor/Chair
Professor/ChairGonzaga University
Natural Resources Conservation And Research
What will help Environmental Field Technicians increase their earning potential?
Dr. Greg Gordon Professor/Chair: We find that graphical information systems (GIS) skills are in high demand. Soft skills such as ability to work as a team, develop work plans, collaborate and communicate with diverse stakeholders, communicate technical and scientific information, are, and will be very important in the near and long term future.
Dr. Dan Ferreira Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Environmental ScienceKennesaw State University
Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology
What Environmental Field Technician skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. Dan Ferreira Ph.D.: I think the best advice I can offer recent graduates is to be as flexible as possible. Being willing to relocate, for example, vastly expands the number of potential jobs they can apply to. Applying for positions that might not be exactly where they want to go, but might give them the experience or skills they need to get to their desired career after a year or two also will help open more doors. So if you can't find your ideal job right away, consider that internship or volunteer opportunity that will make you more marketable in the future.
Erin Surdo Ph.D.
Teaching Assistant Professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies, Environmental EngineeringUniversity of Minnesota
Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geo- Engineering
What skills stand out on Environmental Field Technician resumes?
Erin Surdo Ph.D.: Students with strong oral communication and project management skills and technical background in material balances and fluid mechanics often succeed in environmental engineering careers.
A. Alonso Aguirre Ph.D.
Department Chair & ProfessorGeorge Mason University
Environmental Science and Policy
What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for Environmental Field Technicians in the next 3-5 years?
A. Alonso Aguirre Ph.D.: The fastest jobs in the next 3-5 years are green jobs with great salaries! They will be highly technical and will require specialized skills, including photovoltaic installers, wind turbine technicians, hazardous materials removal techs, so technologies in those areas linked to environmental engineering, climate change modeling, and prediction; all will be an asset. However, we will see a great need for environmental scientists, protected area managers, and conservation scientists working with endangered species and ecosystems. Basic biological, ecological field, and lab skills will be an asset.
What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for Environmental Field Technicians in the next 3-5 years?
Dr. Doug Spieles Ph.D.: I would place data science and geographic information systems at the top of the list. We live in the information age, which is both exciting and overwhelming. I believe that we will increasingly need scientists who know how to obtain and use data to solve spatially explicit environmental problems.
How would you rate the starting salaries for Environmental Field Technicians, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?
Deborah Aruguete Ph.D.: Starting salaries vary quite a bit because they are adjusted for the cost-of-living in a given area. I've seen as low as $40k, but in many areas of the country, that's a comfortable salary for a single person. The Bureau of Labor Statistics says, on average, annual pay is $71k. For just having a bachelor's degree, that's pretty strong, and I'd say that reflects how much one can progress. Remember that many positions for environmental scientists are with the federal, state, and local governments. These positions generally have excellent benefits and adequate job security, not reflected in the pay.
How do you envision technology impacting Environmental Field Technicians in the next 5 years?
Melissa Sullivan: At the EPA, individuals have diverse backgrounds in a full range of career fields and positions. Depending on the position, we're likely to see technology impacting these career fields, over the next five years, in areas such as artificial and geospatial intelligence, IT security skills, cloud service integration, project management, business process design, a virtual workforce, and democratization of technology across the field, enabling broader participation.
Shannon Farrell Ph.D.
Assistant ProfessorSUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry
Department of Environmental and Forest Biology
What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for Environmental Field Technicians in the next 3-5 years?
Shannon Farrell Ph.D.: This depends, in part, on what aspect of zoology one is interested in. In terrestrial vertebrate ecology or wildlife ecology and management, GIS/geospatial technologies are super important. All students should get proficient! Alongside that would include drones and other remote sensing equipment and tools used for animal detection (tracking tools). And for everyone in the sciences, proficiency in both the theory and the technological means, for statistics is very important and allows one to both conduct and present research, and interpret and apply science to management and policy.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Environmental Field Technicians to find work opportunities?
Ed Brands Ph.D.: This depends upon what aspects of the "environmental field" a new graduate is focused on. For example, if the desire is to work with public lands somehow, options in the Midwest might be more limited than further west. There are some positions (e.g., related to soil and water conservation) that exist in nearly every county in the U.S. If there is an interest in working with cleaning up hazardous waste sites or studying the impacts on the human population, there are more of those opportunities in industrial or formerly industrial areas. Working on small organic farms is also a popular interest area, and these exist in every state (some more than others). Still, the work tends to be seasonal so being flexible with location or finding a different job over the winter is usually necessary.
It's a good idea to keep an eye on how employers decide to incorporate telecommuting after the pandemic is over--will it be more prevalent than before? For some positions, e.g., those related to advocacy, there could be more flexibility about employment and location.
Philip Halliwell Ph.D.
Professor of Environmental Science & SustainabilityColorado Mountain College
Department of Science & Sustainability
What type of skills will young Environmental Field Technicians need?
Philip Halliwell Ph.D.: Graduates are going to need practical skills and versatile skills. These skills can be applied to a variety of jobs in a variety of industries. A sustainability graduate should be able to offer just that. Of course, we are faced with large societal issues that a multitude of industries will need to be involved in solving. Specific skills would include problem-solving and project management. Graduates need to diagnose problems, offer sustainable solutions, and navigate the challenges of implementing such a solution.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Environmental Field Technicians to find work opportunities?
Meghann Jarchow Ph.D.: Due to the global nature of environmental issues, sustainability is needed virtually everywhere in both the public and private sectors. Whether you want to stay where you are or fly half-way across the world, graduates can expect to find plenty of opportunities in the field of sustainability.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Environmental Field Technicians to find work opportunities?
Dorceta Taylor: Traditionally, students have been able to find jobs in the Boston-Northern Virginia corridor, in the Southeast, in urban parts of the Midwest, and in the Pacific region. These areas will continue to be places where environmental jobs are found.